Wizard: Starting with Dealing with Magical Plants

Chapter 300 Farewell

Over the next two days, the atmosphere in the sunken town was noticeably more restless than usual.

The arrival of the Secret Council's supply ship was like throwing a boulder into this stagnant, lifeless water.

The docks were bustling day and night. The shouts of those carrying goods, the haggling and arguing, the exclamations of those appraising goods, and the rustling of spies and merchants from different factions exchanging information in hushed tones, all mixed with the various smells of the river and the goods, created a unique symphony in the dock area.

Rowling and Ellie did not participate much in the lively atmosphere at the dock.

They followed Hawke's advice and spent most of the day either in the old mole's den or helping out at Bruno's blacksmith shop.

Mainly, Rowling helped identify some ancient and badly damaged parts that Bruno had found in the sunken town's warehouse, while Ellie helped organize the tools and clean up.

Bruno acknowledged Rolin's good judgment, and although he was still sharp-tongued, his attitude softened considerably.

As evening fell, Hawke's deputy, a middle-aged second-ring wizard named Calvin, with a serious face and meticulous work ethic, would appear at the dwelling on time to convey some council matters to Rowling, inquire about some supplementary details regarding the Shadowraven Tower and the Purification Agreement, and bring several basic agreement documents concerning joining the council that required Rowling's signature.

The agreement mainly contained standard clauses regarding confidentiality obligations, acceptance of parliamentary assignments, and principles for sharing research results; no obvious pitfalls were found. After carefully reading it, Rowling signed it.

On the afternoon of the third day, when Calvin returned, he brought a palm-sized notebook with a gray-brown hard cover and a small metal tag with intricate clasps inside.

"Lord Hawke asked me to give this to you." Calvin placed the two items on the table, his voice flat and emotionless. "The notebook contains the basic rules and regulations of the Secret Language Council, its internal organizational structure, its main strongholds and contact methods in the Dustwind Plains, as well as some instructions on the Council's research directions and access permissions for non-public information."

"The metal tag is your temporary identification. With it, you can obtain a private cabin on the supply ship and complete the formal membership procedures upon arrival at the Council headquarters in the Gray Tower."

Rowling picked up the metal plate.

The plaque felt cold and heavy to the touch. The front was etched with a simple gray tower reaching into the clouds, while the back was blank, waiting for the holder's identity information to be entered.

"The supply ship is scheduled to set sail tomorrow morning," Calvin continued. "Lord Hawke hopes you can move on board tonight to get used to the environment and make it easier to depart early tomorrow morning."

"Your apprentices may travel with you."

"What about the Morpheus administrators—" Rowling asked.

"Lord Hawke has already spoken with Mr. Morpheus. The appraisal of the items you did for him is complete. Your reward will be directly converted into equivalent materials or information and deposited into your initial contribution points account in the Council," Calvin answered flawlessly. "If there are no other questions, please report to Ship Number Three, the largest one in the middle, in one hour, along with your personal belongings."

"I'll be there to meet you."

After saying that, Calvin nodded slightly, turned and left the room.

Ellie closed the door, walked back to the table, and looked at the metal plaque. Her eyes held both anticipation for the future and a touch of melancholy at parting.

"I'm leaving tomorrow—"

"Um.

""

Rowling put the metal plate away and opened the hardcover notebook.

The content is indeed very basic, but it contains a lot of information.

The Secret Language Council is headquartered in Wooden Tower City, on the eastern edge of the Dustwind Plains, centered around the famous, supposedly extremely complex wooden tower that houses countless books and research findings.

The council has multiple branches and research stations throughout the plains, mainly engaged in research on elements, energy, life, runes, ancient relics, and otherworldly phenomena. It also undertakes functions similar to adventurers' guilds, such as issuing quests and allocating resources.

The parliament has a relatively flat internal structure, without the rigid hierarchy of the Santa Maria delle Graham, but contributions and research findings are the core factors determining status and resource allocation.

This is indeed an organization that values ​​practical capabilities.

Rowling memorized the important information in the notebook and then closed it.

"Pack your things. Travel light, only take the essentials."

"Broken Feather and Blue Feather—would they like to come with us?"

Lorin looked at the two rainbow finches on the windowsill, preening each other's feathers.

Ellie walked to the window and reached out her hand.

Duan Yu immediately jumped onto her fingers, gently touched her palm with his beak, and made a cooing sound.

Blue Feather flew over and landed on Ellie's shoulder.

"They seem to want to follow."

Ellie sensed the closeness and dependence between the two birds, and her tone became somewhat uncertain.

"But can we take them on the ship?"

"Ask Hawk or Calvin," Rowling said. "If they don't allow it, leave them in the sunken town or let them return to the wilderness."

The two began packing their belongings.

Most of the miscellaneous items and ordinary supplies brought from Blackrock Town were left behind. Only the necessary weapons, medicines, a small amount of high-energy food, water pouches, the milky white pebble, the protocol interference amulet, and a few changes of clothes were taken.

The notebook given to me by Master Veranika was carefully wrapped in oilcloth and kept close to my body.

After getting ready, Rowling took Ellie and went to Rust and Spark first.

Bruno was working hard on a newly smelted metal billet when he saw Rolin enter. Without even looking up, he asked, "Leaving already?"

"The ship leaves early tomorrow morning," Rowling said. "I came to say goodbye and also to ask if there will be any problems if we bring those two rainbow finches on board?"

Bruno stopped hammering, glanced at Broken Feather and Blue Feather perched on Ellie's shoulder, and snorted: "The rules on the Secret Language ship aren't that many. As long as you don't pull or bite randomly on the ship, they generally don't care."

"However, these wind elemental birds might thrive better in open places like the Dustwind Plains."

"Take it with you; it's a waste to leave it here."

He paused, then pulled a small leather bag from under the worktable and tossed it to Luo Lin: "Here you go! Inside are some leftover Frost-Patterned Star Silver powder and scraps from processing those energy fragments, as well as several kinds of metal adhesives and energy-conducting pastes that I made myself."

"You're interested in old junk, kid. You might need it someday."

Consider this extra reward for helping out this time.

Luo Lin took the leather bag; it felt heavy in his hand.

He knew that these materials were also treasures to Bruno.

Thank you.

"Thanks my ass, get lost and don't delay my work." Bruno waved his hand and swung the hammer again.

Rowling said no more and left the blacksmith shop with Ellie.

The next stop is the stone building of the administrator, Morpheus.

Morpheus seemed to know he was coming and was sitting behind the table with a small pot of steaming, faintly fragrant herbal tea in front of him.

"Are we leaving?"

Morpheus gestured for Rowling to sit down and personally poured him a cup of tea.

"First thing tomorrow morning."

Luo Lin took the teacup, but didn't drink from it; he placed it on the table.

"I've come to say goodbye to the management and thank them for their care over the past few days."

"It's just a win-win situation." Morpheus smiled and took out a small box carved from an unknown black wood from the drawer, pushing it in front of Rolin.

"A parting gift. Inside are several one-time encrypted message scrolls. Once activated using a specific mental frequency, they can transmit brief messages to a fixed receiving point in the sunken town."

"If you encounter anything unusual in the Whisper Council or elsewhere in the Dustwind Plains, or if you need assistance from the Sunken Town in investigating certain information, you can contact me through this."

"Of course, the frequency should not be leaked, and the content of the messages should also be carefully considered."

Rowling picked up the wooden box and opened it. Inside were five leather scrolls, neatly bound with dark silver thread, with a peculiar feel. The surface of the scrolls was outlined with intricate patterns using extremely fine runes.

"I understand." Rowling put the box away.

This is indeed a very practical thing, especially in a world where information transmission is inconvenient.

"Hawk is a cooperative person, but the Secret Language Council is not a monolithic entity." Morpheus picked up his teacup, took a sip, and his tone became somewhat meaningful. "There are different factions and interests within the council."

"If you go there carrying information about the Observer Civilization, it will inevitably attract the attention of some people, and may also arouse the vigilance or even hostility of others."

Be careful in everything you do.

"I'll be careful," Rowling nodded.

These reminders are very pertinent.

"Also," Morpheus put down his teacup, leaned forward slightly, and lowered his voice, "regarding the purification protocol and the Lesser Arbiters you mentioned—I've recently received some scattered information."

"It is said that further north of the Sighing Mountains, near the edge of the permafrost, there are traces of similar construct activity, and it seems to be somewhat connected with the remnants of the Pale Hand."

"If you gain a foothold in the Secret Council and have the opportunity to access relevant missions or information, you might want to keep an eye out for it."

"Of course, this is just a suggestion, and the risks are considerable."

The perpetually frozen wasteland — the pale hand — Rowling memorized these two place names.

The Pale Hand's plan at the Throat of the Dead was thwarted, but it's clear the organization wasn't completely eradicated.

"I understand." Luo Lin stood up. "Well then, farewell, until we meet again."

"Until we meet again." Morpheus also stood up, a gentle smile on his face. "I wish you all the best in the Dustwind Plains. The gates of the Sunken Town are always open for you."

As we left the stone building, it was already clearly nighttime.

The streets were sparsely populated, but the docks were still brightly lit, and the faint sounds of the last batch of goods being moved could be heard.

Back at the old mole's den, Rowling paid the remaining room fee and gave the mouse a few extra crystals as a tip.

The mouse beamed with joy, patting its chest and promising that if Rowling came again, it would definitely reserve the best room for him.

After doing all this, Rowling and Ellie, along with Duan Yu, Lan Yu, and Baha, left their dwelling and headed towards the docks.

The sunken town was shrouded in a hazy gloom and scattered lights at night.

The muddy streets reflected the afterglow of the magic lights on the distant docks, and in the damp, cold air, even the familiar, cloyingly stale smell seemed to have faded somewhat.

Ship number three, the largest flat-bottomed black wooden cargo ship, was quietly moored on the outermost side of the dock.

The ship looked even larger than it did during the day, like a giant beast lurking in the dark waters.

Several lights were still on on the deck, and there were vague figures moving around.

The gangplank had been retracted, but a rope ladder was hanging beside the ship's side.

Calvin was standing on the bow deck when he saw Rowling and the other man approaching, and he waved down.

Rowling handed the luggage to Ellie, then climbed the rope ladder and nimbly ascended the deck. The deck was wide and sturdy, and felt very stable underfoot.

The air was filled with the mixed smells of river water, timber, hemp rope, and goods.